Houston’s SpaceCom: where the future of commercial space activity takes off

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HOUSTON, TX - Things have been kind of messy on planet Earth lately. What do you say we take a break and see what's going on in outer space? Through Nov. 19, the Space City is the place to be for public and private organizations dedicated to exploring the universe and developing new technologies for astronauts and their fans.

"SpaceCom, Houston's first Space Commerce Conference and Exposition is a collaboration between National Trade Productions, the City of Houston, Houston First and NASA Johnson Space Center," said Amy Fisher VP of Marketing for SpaceCom. "We're bringing together executives from the aerospace industry, as well as the medical, manufacturing, transportation, energy and communications industries to look at how the applications of space technologies can help advance innovation in other targeted vertical industries."

Telescopes, medical equipment for the International Space Station, 3D printers, spacecrafts, rovers and unmanned aerial vehicles are on display one week before Black Friday, so there's a lot to see at George R. Brown Convention Center. Everything starts with ingenuity, and from there to the moon and beyond.

"It's all about trying to get humans to Mars by the 2030s," said Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden, Jr., NASA Administrator. "We think we're well on our way to doing that; we're closer than humanity has been before: a lot of the work is being done here at the Johnson Space Center."

And that's the point of this convention: to try to position the Bayou City as a hub for commercial space activity in the years to come.

"We were very happy to collaborate on this conference," expressed Dr. Ellen Ochoa, Director of NASA Johnson Space Center. "If there's a conference about space obviously we're gonna provide a lot of information and content, and it's a great opportunity for us to talk about what people can do and use the international space station for."

Nearly 100 exhibitors will showcase their technologies and applications. The activities include hands-on demonstrations, presentations by top industry leaders and meets and greets. The SpaceCom conference will also feature a Spaceport Summit designed to lay the foundation for an international spaceport network.